I need all of the following things:

1. A place to shoot
2. A person to shoot
3. Ideas for how to shoot it
4. Fun people to shoot with

My goal is to have fun, collaborate with other artists, and make some sweet photos.  I’m hoping this will attract two different kinds of people.

Non-photographers – First and foremost we need someone to photograph!  Maybe you have an idea for something you’d like to do, or maybe even a need for a particular photo (promo, album cover, Flat Stanley, impersonation, etc…)  I would love to find someone who needs a sharp new photo and can benefit from this spontaneous idea.  If we can fill a need while being creative and having fun, then lets do it!*

Photographers – Amateurs, professionals, hobbyists, weekend warriors, etc.  If you like taking pictures and you’re available this evening then you are welcome to come.  Please bring your camera and any lenses, flashes, and accessories you have.  We may end up with too many cooks in the kitchen, but considering the short notice I don’t think that will be a problem.  I realize it’s a moving target and that makes it hard to plan around, but, that’s pretty much the world I live in as a freelance photographer.  Once I’ve got a plan, I will update this post (or leave a comment) with details.

*There is one catch though.  The shoot has to be somewhat challenging and have plenty of room for creativity.  The most creative and practical idea submitted is the one that we’ll do.  For example, if someone says, “I need a new headshot,” you’re gonna have to get more creative than that.  Or if you are looking for a picture of you rappelling down the Grand Canyon, well, that’s not quite practical in this case.  We need a creative idea and a place to make it happen.  BTW, it’s the day after the Fourth of July.  Surely someone has some leftover fireworks…

It’s 2:30 right now; I’d love to start shooting around 7:30 or so.  I realize this is completely last-minute, but then again so was this shoot, and this one, and this one, and this one…

If you’ve got an idea, or if you’d like to join me, feel free to hit me up on twitter, facebook, email, cell phone, whatever.  Let’s throw excuses and Resistance to the wind and go make some photos!

The same thing is true with your time.

I can attest to the fact that if you put work before yourself, there will never be enough time for you.  There will always be more demands on your time than there are hours in the day.  I think this is especially true for creative types who are passionate about their work.  It’s easy to overwork when you enjoy it, but if you’re not careful you will exhaust your creativity, motivation, and drive.

So this is what I propose: Make time for yourself first.  Yes, I know you’re buried and overworked and facing a tight deadline, but that is all the more reason why you need to put yourself first.  Do whatever it is that makes you come alive, and give yourself enough time for it.  Schedule it on your calendar and stick to it.  If you don’t take your own time seriously then what makes you think other people will?

For the last two weeks I’ve blocked off my calendar from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon every day.  During that time I silence my phone and disable email notifications.  For four hours I do something for me.  I read books, take pictures, find interesting videos on TED, dream, journal, work on personal projects, write this blog post, draw, etc…

There are dozens of reasons why this is a dumb idea, but you already know that.  What you probably don’t know is what might happen if  you try it.

How’s that for managing expectations?  Seriously though, I have the distinct privilege of displaying some of my work alongside illustrator Dylan Byrd. Dylan is a friend and extremely talented artist. It’s worth coming to the show just to see his stuff!

As for me I will be featuring some brand new pieces as well as some old favorites.  You will find a combination of commissioned work and personal projects, photography and graphic design.

Basically, you should come check it out!  In addition to the artwork there will be live music and some goodies to munch on.  …and did I mention that it’s FREE?!  Yeah, what’s your excuse now?  Besides, it’s from 7:00 – 9:00, so you’ve got plenty of time to get your Friday night party on afterward.  Details below:

• What: A stunning visual experience that is sure to make Avatar look like a thing of the past.
• When: Friday, May 7th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM  (and it’s ONLY during that time. One night only.)
• Where: Ebenezers Coffeehouse (201 F Street NE)
• Why: Because it will rock your flippin’ socks off! Gosh!  Besides, it’s local to support sexy artists.
• Who: You! Me, Dylan, and a special guest appearance (of international fame, no joke!)
• Bonus: The first 362 people will get a souvenir high five from Stephen Elliot!  Better come early!
• No need to RSVP, but here’s the Facebook event page if you’re into that sort of thing.

Recently I designed one for Ellen and Brendon’s wedding.  They got married on a snowy day in December (DC’s biggest snowfall in years! …until Snowmageddon in February, that is).  Unlike any other DVD cover I had done thus far, they specifically requested that the design resemble the cover of Field of Dreams.  Before I saw it, I thought, “This will be a piece of cake.  The hardest part of a design is figuring out how to arrange everything, and in this case I’m just mimicking another layout…”  Then I Googled “Field of Dreams dvd cover” and became less than excited.

For starters, it’s one of the tackiest movie designs I’ve seen in a while.  To complicate things there are three variations of it.  Basically, I had to take the essence of this and force it into my style.  To make things even more difficult, I failed to do my research beforehand so I had no pictures of either the bride or groom posing like Kevin Costner here.

In the end, the three variations actually helped.  Finding the consistencies between them allowed me to boil the design down to the most basic elements: person in the middle, text overhead, big circle, and implied triangle.  Here’s what I came up with. What’s the verdict? Does it look Field of Dreams-ish?  (Note, back cover was an open design.)

P.S. I’d be happy to talk in detail about the ins and outs of making a DVD cover. Pipe up in the comments if you want to see more detailed posts like that ’round here.

Generally speaking, at the end of the day I can hang my hat knowing that I was able to do my job better because I had relatively affordable access to the gear that I needed.  This is especially true for gear that I will only use a handful of times (like the 600mm lens I’m renting for the shuttle launch next month).  Still, I think there is a better alternative…

Consider this:

• The Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR2 lens retails for $2,319 at B&H.  It costs $50 to rent it for a day.
• The Nikon D700 camera body retails for $2,399 at B&H.  It costs $185 to rent it for a day.

It is over three times more expensive to rent a camera than a lens!  Granted, these prices were taken from Penn’s website and I know there are other places to rent equipment –I’ve used lensrentals.com a number of times– but still the rental costs of camera bodies seems overpriced across the board.  I’m sure rental shops have their reasons for pricing camera bodies the way they do (to make money), but I have reasons to look elsewhere (to save money).

Here’s what I propose: why not find a friend who has the gear you need and then rent it from them for a smaller fee?  They make a buck for essentially doing nothing, and you save money by being able to negotiate, not to mention that you are building community among your circle of friends and photographers.  Invest in the people around you; the corporations will adapt.  Learn to barter and trade with others; you will find that it can help more than just your photography.

It takes some real discipline to sit down and review every one of your photographs, but unless you confront the reality of your images you may never learn what they have to teach you. Photographers would do well to take a note from movie directors in this area. After each day of shooting the director will sit down and review the footage they just shot. The footage, appropriately enough, is called “dailies.” The sooner you can review it the better off you’ll be.

Believe me, I know all of the excuses and reasons to procrastinate, even seemingly valid ones like, “I will have more time to shoot if I pay someone to edit.” I guarantee you the best way to see your photography improve is to edit your photos. If you really want to learn a lot while editing try shooting the same event with another photographer and then edit them all yourself.

A number of things happen when we do this:

1. Ideas and inspiration crop up when you slow down and really examine your photos. Many times I have noticed a reflection or shadow in a shot and I’m left thinking, “Oh man! I can’t wait to try another shot like this…”
2. It puts you in the position of your client. Take a minute to imagine what the client will think when they see your images.  Will they be impressed?  Will they notice that the focus isn’t perfect? Will they notice if it’s a little bit crooked? Did you meet their expectations?
3. It will show you what you overlooked. Some photographers, myself included, have a gift for missing the obvious sometimes.  We are too busy looking at the light or composition that we failed to realize the subject is picking his nose.
4. You will be able to spot trends in your style.  Much to my frustration I recently discovered that I had an extremely annoying habit of tilting every photo I shot.  I didn’t even realize it until I started seeing it in all of my photos.  Now I know, and I don’t shoot like that any more.
5. Every crappy photo will serve as a reminder to do it better next time. Look at your photos until you’re disgusted with them, until you’re ready to do something about it. Take responsibility for them. Study them. Learn from them. Then do it right next time.  P.S.  This won’t work if you blame the client, or the venue, or the lighting, or anything but yourself. Step up and own it.
6. It enables you to compare differences side by side. Often during a shoot I will try a few different options or ideas.  When editing these photos I can see what worked and what didn’t.
7. It gives you time to think about your photos. The most limited resource during most shoots is time (wedding photographers in particular know this).  When you have such a narrow window of opportunity you can’t afford to stop and ponder your options; you’ve got to go with what you know or cross your fingers and hope for the best.  When that time constraint is lifted (i.e. well after the shoot is over) you should analyze your shots.  If you had more time, what would you have done differently?
8. It teaches you to look for the potential and then capitalize on it. It truly is a skill to be able to look at a photograph and say, “It needs a little of _____.” Editors are taught to look for the potential in a photograph.  Photographers should learn to do the same.
9. It helps you find the story within the frame –the subplot, if you will. Try playing around with that crop tool. You’ll be surprised at how much you can cut out of an image and still tell the story. This is great fodder thinking of new shots, and good reason to invest in a telephoto lens.
10. It rehashes the technical settings of your camera. You don’t have to edit photos for long before you begin to understand what White Balance does.
11. In short, editing teaches you how to take better pictures.

Editing is an altogether different skill set than shooting photos.  Simply knowing how to apply a filter or preset is not enough. Learn the craft of editing and your photography will be better because of it.  There is a saying in the film industry: “The best editors are cinematographers, and the best cinematographers are editors.”

I’ve done a handful of shoots for the Crystal City BID (the event hosts), and I’ve seen firsthand that they know how to organize and produce some great events.  I’m sure Crystal Couture will not disappoint.  Also, I’ve had a chance to work with the models and designers at a couple events in preparation for Couture, and everything is top notch!  Here are a few photos I snapped at the rehearsal.

So, I’m planning to check it out on Friday and Saturday,* and you should come with me!  I’ve never done runway photography, so this is a perfect opportunity to give it a shot and hopefully broaden our portfolios.  I know there are at least a dozen of you that I have talked to about getting together to do a shoot, so here’s a chance to make that happen.  To sweeten the deal, I’m renting Nikon’s new 70-200 VR II lens, and I’d be happy to share.  Heck, if enough of you pipe up I’ll rent a second one so there’s more goodness to go around.

The show is from 6:00 to 10:00 both nights at 23rd and Crystal Drive.  Hope to see you there!

Did I mention that the show is right across the street from Chipotle?!  Seriously, my friends, this is our density!

*I’m not even going to acknowledge the pending snowmageddon; I’m over it.

Back in June I shot some engagement photos for a couple friends, and then in November I had the privilege of going to their wedding in Seattle. During the reception a girl came up and asked me if I was the one who took their engagement photos. We chatted for a bit and then she said, “Well, my fiance and I are getting married in Egypt…”

As it turns out they had already hired a photographer for their wedding, but they liked my style enough to ask me to photograph the four days of events leading up to the wedding as well. Basically I’m an embedded photographer hanging out with a group of people doing a bunch of awesome things. We’re gonna go horseback riding at the Pyramids and do a Nile River cruise among other things.

*Seriously.  Pinch me!!

The bride-to-be is so easygoing but very organized and detailed.  More than once she said to me, “It’s important to me that you have fun and enjoy yourself –don’t feel like you have to work the whole time,” and I’m left thinking, “So wait a minute, everything is already planned out; all I have to do is show up, take lots of photos, and have fun? …. Bring it on!”

I feel so honored and grateful to be a part of this trip!  It always means a lot to me when people trust me to photograph their wedding.  It means a heck of a lot when they are willing to fly me halfway around the world to do it!

P.S.  I have never used the bathroom in an airplane.  This trip just might upset my record…

This Saturday the D.C. area was hit with one of the biggest snow storms of the decade. Rather than playing in the snow or staying in to enjoy some movies, I was out shooting a wedding.

The bride and groom had such great attitudes about it all, and I was shocked at how many people trudged through the snow to get there. I was particularly delighted to find that the bride really wanted to snap a few photos in the snow. Definitely a fun addition to my portfolio!

You can find a few photos on facebook now, and the rest will be posted here some time after January 1st. Merry Christmas everybody!

P.S. Joe Portnoy helped me cover the ceremony. He’s one talented kid! Check out his work at Snaptography.net

Unlike most of the initial reviews, I’ve actually had a couple weeks to use it and see how it holds up in day-to-day life. Here are the notes I’ve made along the way:

• The touch screen is very fast and responsive; it never lags!
• Multi-touch would be a welcomed addition, particularly for zooming. The “double tap to zoom” feature isn’t awesome, though it’s not frustratingly horrible either.
• Occasionally it scrolls down the page when you just try to tap something. I haven’t had this problem much lately, so I think it was just a matter of getting used to how it responds to your tap.
• Android (the phone’s operating system) is VERY impressive! The innovation behind Google is something I already endorse every day via Gmail, Maps, Calendar, etc… Knowing they are behind my phone’s interface is very reassuring.
• I love the way it syncs with my contacts from Gmail and Facebook. All of my Gmail contacts were showing up in the phone when I left the Verizon store.
• Contact grouping minimizes repetition in your list. If you have multiple entries or email addresses for someone it will automatically combine them into a single contact. However, it did get rather confused when it saw that I have an uncle named Steve Elliot…
• Until the most recent firmware (or Android) update on December 11th it had recurring problems syncing with google. The remedy linked above wasn’t working for me, and it kept giving me the error message. Fortunately it has worked flawlessly since the update. (This makes me VERY happy!)
• The Android Market is abundant, though not as plentiful as the iPhone App Store.
• There are three keyboards:

1. Virtual Vertical: A bit too small for my fingers. I’ve gotten better with it, but I still can’t type as fast as I would like. It is however great for one-handed use.
2. Virtual Horizontal: my personal favorite. I can access the buttons easily and the keys keep up with my typing as fast as I can go.
3. Slide-out QWERTY: it’s all right, though not spectacular. I frequently hit multiple keys at a time (on accident) when typing on it. I do love the multi-directional arrow pad though. I will often slide the keyboard out just to use it. It makes it much easier to reposition the cursor wherever you need it.

• The keyboards disappear when changing orientation, so you have to tap the text field to get it to pop up again.  This is mildly annoying.
• Auto-complete is excellent and doesn’t get in the way. Ninety-five percent of the time it gives me exactly the word I meant to type. I don’t have to waste time correcting the idiocy of auto-complete.
• The Body Glove case (optional accessory) is the perfect balance between a rubbery grip and a hard case. It’s nice that you can still slide out the keyboard, but it makes the top row of keys a bit harder to hit (for my big fingers). It makes the overall size of the phone appear much bigger than it really is. (I will be using the phone without the case for the next week to see which I prefer.)
• Slide out keyboard means moving parts, which means more places for dust to creep in.
• Dedicated “Back” button makes everything better.
• Multiple windows in Browser is revolutionary! It works just like tabs in Firefox. It’s one of the best examples of Android’s ability to run multiple tasks/apps simultaneously.
• Perfect response time for switching orientation to/from vertical to horizontal. No waiting and shaking like the iPhone.
• The built-in LED flash is fantastic. I don’t care for the direct flash in my photos, but it can be used as a flashlight with some of the apps. It’s much brighter than a screen whiteout.
• I wish it would allow one more row of icons on the home screen. There is a lot of wasted space –particularly if you use Widgets.
• Names and info from your contacts are automatically added to the user dictionary. Makes life easier.
• Speaker volume almost seems inconsistent. Sometimes it’s too loud and other times it’s not loud enough. (I guess there are a lot of variables to consider though –ambient noise, connection strength, recorded volume, etc…)
• Screen resolution is very impressive. Sharp detail and easy readability. Bright enough to see clearly outside on a sunny day.
• There needs to be an option to disable the camera sound. Unless you put the Media Volume on silent the camera’s “shutter” sound is loud and annoying.
• Accelerated scrolling is very well weighted. Makes it very easy to get through a long list or page without a lot of finger flicks.
• The Facebook app leaves much to be desired. It’s not intuitive at all. Just opens the browser for most commands.
• I can “Bump” with iPhones, thus making me a part of the cool kids club.
• The Chipotle app is not currently available for the Droid. …That is almost a deal breaker for me. =)

The obvious comparison: If the iPhone has taught us anything it’s that cell phones aren’t just for making calls any more. Ultimately it comes down to the various apps available, and currently Apple has a better offering.

The iPhone has proven that consumers are willing to put up with a second-rate carrier (AT&T) to get the bells and whistles of the hardware. Verizon finally has an impressive phone on their great network, but I don’t think anybody expects it to actually replace the iPhone. At least there is now a comparable alternative.

Conclusion: I LOVE the Droid! It’s been a remarkable tool for me, and has drastically increased my productivity. At the end of the day, it depends on what you’re looking for in a phone. I personally wanted to be able to check email, surf the web, and have GPS for local searches. I haven’t downloaded a single game, song, or movie on my Droid even though I can. It’s just not important to me right now.

If all of your friends have iPhones and you want to be like them, get an iPhone. If you’re on Verizon and want a great phone, get a Droid.